About Props: Tray

This week, let's learn about tray as a bellydance prop. (btw, props are part of level 3 dance classes. Something to think about when level two eventually becomes easy/boring ^_~) 

The origins are Moroccan, coming from Shikhatt (one of many, many dances from Morocco) and the hospitality of servind tea. Balancing props like this are a good motivator for practicing isolations. (the video in that link is from Tava, a friend of mine from CT, she's a great teacher and super knowledgeable about Turkish and Am Cab stuff ^_^)

Here are some example of Moroccan style tray dances

A Moroccan woman

Moroccan styling by American Students

And a US based pro, staging a tableau.

---

The Late John Compton performing his rendition, which you can think of as part of a bridge from the traditional styling to how it is used in the US now.

Candle tray is also a great fit for the floorwork (ie slowest) part of a 5 or 7 piece American Cabaret/Restaurant style set.

---

Modern American and fusion dancers take this background and continue to add even more spectacle:

including souped up flames,

Fusion styling,

and decked out, multi tiered trays.

It's just a matter of time before the trays become a reinvention of the shamadan! but that's a prop for another week ^_^​